Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Another Happy Crowd At The Wine Country's Loire Tasting

Mid July we had another extremely successful Loire Valley tasting at The Wine Country. I never measure the success of a tasting by the number of attendees, (some folks don't know what these wines are about and some just don't dig it) but by the number of comments and sales, well this smallish crowd was very happy! Our regulars were down right giddy and gushing with compliments...I was almost blushing but as much as I would like to credit, it was the wine that did all the work, they were simply fantastic.

One of the most amazing things about the Loire Valley is the diversity! We had red wines, white wines, dry wines, semi-sweet & Sparkling wines. The range of flavors, textures and levels of complexity was nothing short of astounding. The one thing they all had in common....they were all so damn refreshing and easy to drink. The crowd bumped along from one wine to the next, each time letting me know how tasty they found the last wine, "Well wait until you taste this one" I would say while splashing the next wine in their glass. I would watch as they swirled, sniffed and sipped each time letting the surprise show on their faces. "Wow, I've never tasted anything like that before" was something I heard more than once that afternoon. "Welcome to the Loire" I told them.

Featured Wines From Our July 19Th Loire Valley Tasting2006 Domaine Roc de Chateauvieux Pinot Noir $8.99-- No one could get over how inexpensive this tasty Pinot Noir is! Bright red fruit, light body with soft acids, the perfect summer wine.

2005 Rene Noel Legrand "La Chaintree" Saumur Champigny $16.99--Such a delicious Cabernet Franc. Silky in the mouth with smoke and stone notes all with a full but gentle berry-like finish.

2006 Domaine des Quarres Sauvignon $9.99--The, "funky little wine" of the day. Smells a bit like Sherry with plenty of minerals and a clean fresh finish.

2006 Domaine Henry Pelle Menetou-Salon $17.99--One of the best sellers that afternoon, this wine is loaded with vibrant citrus..like tangerine notes. Somewhat full in the mouth with prefect tingly acidity.

2005 Dominique Roger Cuvee "La Jouline" $26.99--This was the only wine with a noticeable amount of wood on it, not a clunky amount but there was a vanilla note and silky plump texture that was clearly from some oak contact. Pretty luscious wine.

2005 Francois Chidaine Montlouis "Le Choisilles" $25.99--This was an eye opener for most who attended the tasting. Bursting with ripe pears, minerals all with a super silky mouth feel and a long sexy finish...sold out that afternoon.

2006 Champalou Vouvray "La Cuvee des Fondraux" $20.99--This was the demi-sec, or half dry wine on the table but the sweetness was just barely noticeable...really nicely balanced wine with a little snappy zip on the end.